Pete Davidson has opened up about his preparation to play Joey Ramone.
The actor will be portraying the Ramones frontman in new Netflix biopic I Slept With Joey Ramone.
The film will be directed by Jason Orley, who worked with Davidson on Big Time Adolescence and Pete Davidson: Alive from New York and will be based on Ramone’s brother Mickey Leigh’s memoir of the same name.
“I’m about to start music lessons and voice lessons and all this other shit and it’s honestly a dream come true that they’re giving [me] a shot,” Davidson told Billboard.
“Hopefully I do it justice and I hope I don’t let anybody down.”
He went on to say he was “really fucking nervous” and excited about the project. “I’m definitely taking it very serious and I’m doing my research,” the actor said, explaining his strict routine of drum, guitar and singing lessons.
“Because Joey did a bit of everything and we’re following his life, so you’re going to see a bit of that. It’s a lot, man. It’s gonna be really interesting and I’m excited.”
I Slept With Joey Ramone will be produced by Netflix in partnership with STX, and has the support of the Estate of Joey Ramone.
Adam Fogelson, chairman of STXfilms Motion Picture Group, said in a statement: “When you share a bed with someone – and not just a bed, but a childhood, a family, and a lifetime – you know that person better than anybody else.
“Mickey Leigh not only collaborated with his big brother’s band – he has irreplaceable memories of and insights into Joey Ramone, having supported him when no one else would and witnessed him overcome adversity in the most dramatic way.”